Tanya Khani, The Soulful Publicist
Tanya, or otherwise known in the wellness and holistic media world as the Soulful Publicist, is the PR guru in demand for well-known and celebrated spiritual guides, healers, teachers, studios, brands, and social impact leaders in the industry. Her clients include names you know like Shaman Durek and LaRayia Gaston. She specializes in telling multidimensional stories that disrupt the norm in order to bring meaningful and impactful messages to the limelight. Tanya is courageously redefining what it means to have soulful and purposeful driven media exposure by bridging the gap between consciousness and media.
Tanya began studying personal development from a young age and always felt a pull towards a greater purpose. She attended university in her home state of California and received a degree in Psychology believing she would likely pursue a career as a therapist. However, she began working in retail with Lululemon, for what would end up being several years, focusing on visual merchandising strategies and initiatives. A chance meeting with an astrologer friend of her mother’s completely changed that trajectory. The astrologist told Tanya that her life’s work involved representing people and that she should first find a mentor to help her navigate to her true purpose.
At the time she had no connection to anything in media, whether it was marketing or PR because up until then her world had been health, wellness, and retail. It didn’t really click, though, until she enrolled in a coaching certification course at the Mastery in Transformational Training, an LA-based organization that offers experiential learning workshops, seminars, and graduate programs.
The program completely awakened in Tanya the need to stop living small and to start taking great chances. She gave in her two weeks at Lululemon and then the universe sent her another kismet event. She ran into an old friend from high school who happened to be working in PR for the health and wellness industry. An internship became available with the same company and, with her friend’s vouch of approval, Tanya was brought on to assist with endorsements and sponsorships.
She had no idea what she was doing but she gave it her all and stepped into the role with her full power. She became the PR manager within two years and spent her time there learning the ropes of the industry, meeting with experts, and building her network of connections in that world. Then her company began working with energy workers and spiritual leaders. The universe had sent Tanya her first opportunity to bring together publicity and the realm of mysticism and alternative healing.
Her boss at the time noticed Tanya’s innate connection with these new wellness leaders and her ability to promote the firm’s more spiritual clients. She became the go-to person for anyone brought on under that umbrella for the firm. When she met Shaman Durek she was amazed by his power, connection to the ancient world, and ability to download new information and communicate it to all types of people. She had a vision then and she knew she wanted to work directly with these powerful healers and spiritual teachers. So, when the time came to decide between staying with or leaving the PR firm, Tanya knew her purpose was to keep moving forward and to achieve this new vision.
Since then, Tanya has been mystically storming the spiritual and wellness worlds with her respected PR skills, celestial vibes, and delightful personality. She has many grand visions for the industry and bringing this work to an even larger market. Some day in the future, she hopes to create her own developments bringing celebrated healers, facilitators, and practitioners more definitively into the world of television and production. Working with such celebrated spiritual leaders has also strengthened Tanya's intrinsic healing powers. As a former singer, Tanya began using her gift with opera and classical voice to perform sound alchemy activations and blessings.
Tanya is just a spiritual girl’s girl. She is that woman you intuitively try to sit next to in a circle at a retreat or that you try chatting up at a wellness event. She’s got that uber-cool vibe and energy that simultaneously chills you out while also motivating you to change your life in some transformative way. Whether she’s introducing you to some of the greatest healers and leaders of our time or captivating you with her own magical presence there is no doubt you will be mesmerized by this fabulous woo woo working woman. To find out more about Tanya and her work follow her at @thesoulpublicist.
What is your secret to living a high-vibrancy life?
Meditation is a big one. Recently, I’ve been practicing a self-love frequency meditation by Alexander and Shayoon, a couple specializing in LightForce Healing. It completely amplifies my powers and shifts me into a vibration of love and peace. Dance is also a huge part of my life. Not just social dancing but dancing with spirit and using my body as an instrument. For example, if I feel stuck or stagnant, I can't just go on a walk. Instead, I have to create some kind of sensual movement. So I'll be on a rooftop or a boardwalk and it'll feel like I'm in my own music video. I'll bring ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, and any other type of free-flow central movement. I feel so liberated in this practice.
Who is a woo-woo working woman that you admire and why?
Jessica Zweig from SimplyBe is one. I admire her work and her presence in the world. She runs a very successful branding marketing business, has a podcast, just wrote a book, and always seems to be cranking out great things. She also creates time for her practice and for recreation. I just saw her online at a beautiful retreat in Mexico with her husband and I love that she makes that a priority. She creates video content, she's always interviewing people and she's just so on her game. She is always speaking to her angels and it's so cool to see her have a foot in both worlds. She's a badass, powerful entrepreneur who also has a really strong, spiritual connection and practice.
How do you balance work, wellness, and spirituality?
I’m still trying to figure that out. I'd say it's honoring whatever is showing up for me at that moment, trusting the timing, and trusting what my body is telling me. If I'm exhausted and I don't have a strong energy source I can't create from there. I need to find an outlet to plug into via meditation, dance, song, or simply just allowing myself to do nothing. So I'd say it's less of a balance because I think balance can also be too much of a doing thing for me. If I think about it then it's more of me listening and knowing what I need in that moment. Every day really looks different. I don't have a specific regime that I follow or specific routines. I like to power through the day but on the days where I'm a bit more lethargic, and I don't have as much energy source to create, then I give myself permission to find the outlet or the thing that's either going to reboot me or give me some charge.
Was there any one significant event that moved you onto the path of becoming the woman you are today?
Completing a coaching leadership course at M.I.T.T really showed me how comfortable I was, at the time, with simply being complacent in life. The program really helped me to peel back the layers upon layers of masks and stories I had built up from early childhood as well as to identify many of my blind spots. At the end of the program, my coach said “How much longer are you going to play small?” When he presented that question to me I had a massive reflection of how small I truly had been playing in each area of my life. I knew I was doing the bare minimum. I wasn't an overachiever. I was stuck in this constant cycle of feeling like I wasn’t achieving my greatest capability. It felt like I couldn’t progress. Then I would feel bad about it and beat myself up. I was stuck in this spiral of distress. So him asking me how much longer I was going to play small propelled me into action. I put in my two weeks at Lululemon, a company I had been with since I was 18, and that was the beginning of this path.
Personal Mantra?
“You know best.”
You are one of the true pioneers in bringing these incredible healers to mass audiences. How would you advise someone who is inspired by your career to pursue a similar path?
There are quite a few people that have come to me about transitioning into this world. I do see myself slowly training more soulful publicists in the future. My biggest advice would be to keep strengthening your own practice because that is going to lead you to the places and people that you're meant to serve or work with. It’s about strengthening your inner practice and your voice because that's what's going to guide you. I can now fully see that's how it's mapped out for many of us. Then, if there is a certain area that calls to you, start putting yourself out there by reaching out and helping. If you see someone that's a rising star or that you connect with but that doesn’t have any support then offer a lending hand without thinking about your end result. My rate when I started with Shaman Durek is not the rate that I would be charging now. I had so much faith in what he was doing and so much faith in my work with him that I knew it was going to serve both of us and the world. If I was overly concerned about the give and take, then it wouldn’t have worked. Because we were so in contribution of each other - it felt aligned. It’s truly about serving and feeling aligned with the mission. The rest will follow.
At the start of your pivot into the spiritual wellness market, you encountered resistance and a lot of “no’s” when trying to bring your clients to the mass media. How would you advise someone who is in a similar place of meeting resistance in pursuit of a career or passion?
For me, I started aligning more with what was in the highest value or the highest alignment for the client. You can make so many contacts or come across opportunities that may not be right for you or your client at that time. You really need to know what your purpose is so that you can form that alignment with the right people who come across your path. I've met producers and journalists where I knew it wasn’t aligning so I didn't even try to push it. I will leave those opportunities and I find new portals to go through or new relationships to build. The more aligned with your purpose the easier it becomes. People, connections, and opportunities will come easier and it’ll also become easier for you to say yes or no.
What are the skills and/or attributes you believe have supported you in having a successful career and business?
Enthusiasm for one because this industry is very much about personality, connection, and relationships. My enthusiasm has gotten me a long way. Trust and confidence in myself and my work allow me to keep moving forward towards any goal. I'd also say being a visionary by seeing the bigger picture is really helpful. Not just seeing the world in one lane or in black and white but really having an expansive view of who your client is, what's happening in the world, and understanding how to connect the dots. Lastly, persistence is a big one. You want to be gentle in your persistence and follow-ups.
Not only are you a PR goddess but you also have your own healing gifts. Can you tell us about that?
It’s a huge part of who I am. I'm energy-sensitive and energy-attuned. Currently, I'm doing sound alchemy activations where I've taken my gift with opera and classical voice and I connect to ancestral tribe language and chanting. I use opera in a very activating way so I'll use it as a toning tool rather than just performing. So I've developed these gifts over the years working with Shaman Durek and being a singer just really stretched that gift taking it into a more sound medicine route. I’ve been doing it for my friends and colleagues and everyone’s been loving them.
It has been said that we are our own best healers. What are your thoughts on that? Any advice on how to tap into our own healing and guiding powers?
That’s a big thing that I believe in and that I’ve experienced in my own journey. We tend to look so much outside of ourselves when in fact we really do have all the answers. I think it comes down to understanding how connection works. Everybody thinks that you need to be in a deep meditative state or that you need all these external things in order to have this connection but it comes when you're deeply connected to your heart and to your intuition. To get to intuition you have to be one with yourself and that takes a lot of self-practice. You have to discover what that looks like for you. Sometimes people connect just by singing or through prayer or meditation. Everyone's practice looks so different. So as you deepen your practice with yourself and you start connecting to your heart your connection becomes stronger to God or to source energy. Even reading texts or listening to podcasts can start putting you in that vibration. Source connection also comes from shifting your mindset, and not just telling yourself things, but working on your programming to allow you to deepen your practice within your heart and yourself. The mind and body need to be in sync.
Do you have any morning or evening rituals that keep you grounded?
My morning ones, when they're strong, end up being about an hour of different meditations. I have some sutras that I do from Deborah King’s Be a Modern Master course. They're Sanskrit words from the Vedas. They open up your psyche and amplify your powers. Then I do the self-love meditation which opens and expands the heart frequency and also aligns my chakras. Then sometimes I do Shaman Durek’s healing temple on gut health to remove any toxins or poisons or anything else that is blocking me from my highest power.
How do you reset after a challenging day?
It’s obviously good to check in to see where releases are needed. Crying is definitely at the top of my list because it allows me to detox or release. Many other things can truly come through me when I cry. If it’s not at the level of crying then movement or dancing is my go-to to release and shift my body. It's not so much to shift me out of the funk it’s more to let the stuff come out and not be held inside. It's another method of detox.
What were some life-changing texts for you?
Spirit Hacking is really up there for me. It’s definitely a frequency of the body and the mind. I have used Deborah King’s tools from her books Heal Yourself Heal The World and Be Your Own Shaman.
What the title of your own autobiography be?
Tata For Now
If you could choose any magical power what would it be?
To read people’s minds so I can know how to best support them.
Go to products or practitioners for beauty, health, spirituality and wellness.
For mediumship, there’s Corey Daniel @thefashionmedium. I have sent so many people to him. I just had a girlfriend tell me she was so thankful because she was needing clarity in her life. He gives that and he delivers it differently for everybody. I'm always blown away by his sessions. In the healing arts, now that I've met Alexander and Shayoon, their healings are wild. I had a session in which they asked my angel to come into my body to assist with the healing. I began to embody the angel speaking and acting like her. It was insane. They facilitated that for each trauma-induced event that I had gone through and I would release the energy. I've never experienced anything like that. I go to many friends for their advice. Dr. Sam is a really great naturopathic doctor. For bodywork, I was going to Holden Zalma for recovery work but for the most part, I go to mediums and practitioners that do quantum healing. For numerology Kaitlyn Kaerhart and for astrology my best friend Natalie Holbrook.
Advice to the Woo🖤Wooo Working Women out there figuring out how to live their best high-vibrancy life?
Be your own sovereignty.
